"Fans will find this volume indispensable; casual readers will find it an attractive nuisance," observed The Scientific American of this rich and challenging compilation of puzzles. From brainteasers that any novice can figure out to complex problems involving number theory, this puzzle treasury offers a splendid variety of conundrums. Readers can follow the path of the bouncing billiard balls, search for the lost chord, size up golden spheres, calculate the number of squared eggs, and take on dozens of other imaginative challenges, including diabolic squares, flexagons, domino games, and geometric dissections.

Long ago, the great Colossus of Argantheon stood upon one of the outer islands, its vast, outstretched arm pointing the way to the Crystal Pool, or so the ancient texts claim. Then, during some forgotten war, the Colossus was shattered, and its parts flung across the Archipelago, to lie in forgotten ruin.